Another Beast in Bayville
by annam8td
Summary: Kitty Pryde isn’t acting like herself. Her normally perky and passive personality is gone, and aggression has taken its place. Likewise, a strange creature is running rampant in Bayville. Investigations yield a shocking plan of revenge.
1. Seconds to Spare

Another Beast in Bayville

A/N: Post-Apocalypse. Little bit of revenge thrown in here. I'm kinda basing it off of an episode of Teen Titans, though there are some significant differences. I'm also trying to organize my thoughts more with this fic, so hopefully the story line will be one that I wont be tired of.

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Walking out of the movie theatre arm in arm with her boyfriend Lance, accompanied by her best friends, Kitty Pryde feels at ease. After weeks of planning and fighting against Apocalypse, and finally defeating him, it is nice to return to life as though nothing happened, and as though the rest of the world weren't out to get her and her friends. Tonight feels like just another summer night, they feel just like everyone else.

"Wasn't that movie totally awesome?" Kurt asks, his voice chipper and full of excitement. "Did you see the part where—" "We all saw the same movie," Rogue interrupts, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "We all saw that part," Kitty laughs, and Lance pulls her close. She smiles at him. It's strange to think that she vowed to never have anything to do with him after he shut the boarding house door in her face when she had asked for his help in the fight against Apocalypse. She thought that was the end of it, until she found out that he and the rest of the Brotherhood had hijacked a plane to Mexico so he could fight by her side. After defending the pyramid from Magneto, and walking towards the SHIELD planes arm in arm with him, Kitty knew that she could never be without him. Lance unhooks his harm from Kitty's, slaps a mosquito on his other arm.

"Damn bugs!" he hisses, slapping his jeans and arm once more. Kitty giggles. She knew that Lance didn't like insects, but not to the point where he would slap himself senseless and make passerbys think he's doing some sort of crazy dance. After a few seconds, Lance finally stops his slap dance, and his companions stop laughing. His cheeks tint red from embarrassment. "What? Don't tell me you like getting eaten alive?" Kurt catches his breath, comments that fur makes a good mosquito net, and that Rogue's inability to touch people makes for good bug repellant. "Gee thanks," Rogue says sarcastically. She is very self conscious about having to avoid physical contact.

Lance spazztically slaps a big from his shoulder. Kitty, feeling sympathetic to her boyfriend's needs, places her hand on his arm, and the bugs begin to phase through him, rather than bite. Lance pulls away. "Woah that feels weird!" he says. "That's how it feels when you move through stuff?" Kitty nods, tells him that she's gotten used to it. He pulls her close again, whispers in her ear. "I prefer you solid. It's easier to wrap my arms around you." Kitty blushes. She never knew Lance could be so affectionate. It's nice. Averting his eyes from the cutesy couple, Kurt checks his watch. "Ach! It's already 10:49!" he shouts. "We have to be back at 11!" Lance laughs. "Are you guys gonna turn into pumpkins if you're not home on time?"

"Worse," Rogue says. Lance is unsure what "worse" means, especially coming from a pessimist. He raises an eyebrow quizzically, and looks to his pretty Kitty for clarification. She looks up at him and shrugs. Rogue slaps her forehead. "Logan said he would make us wax the jet if we weren't home on time," she reminds her companions. Kitty gasps, her eye bulging with fear. Waxing the gigantic jet is not how she planned on spending her Saturday. "Well then let's get going," Lance says as the teens huddle around Kurt. He teleports them to Lance's Jeep, leaving a cloud of gray sulfur smoke outside of the movie theatre.

The drive back to the Xavier Institute is stressful. Lance drives as fast as he can, yet not completely ignoring the speed limit. When asked why he isn't moving faster, he says that he cannot afford another ticket. The stress is amplified with every red light. "10:52," Kurt announces. Rogue elbows her brother in the ribs. "You're not helping," she tells him. They all hold their breaths as they wait for the light to change. Sitting in the passenger seat, Kitty feels a sharp prick at the base of her neck. "Ouch," she says, slapping her neck. "Stupid bugs," she mutters, placing her hands back in her lap. "I told you they're evil," Lance says, ruffling her hair before putting the pedal to the metal at the first sign of a green light.

"What time is it now?" Lance asks Kurt over his shoulder. "10:54…and we're still miles away," a groaning Kurt replies. "Oh man, I guess we'd better be prepared to wax the X-Jet." Kitty, Kurt and Rogue sigh heavily. Lance gets an idea. "Hang on," he advises his passengers before turning down a side street suddenly. "Don't kiss your Saturday good-bye just yet." Driving down side streets and back alleys, Lance keeps his foot on the gas pedal. A few swift turns combined with Kitty's phasing the Jeep around corners, the travel time is cut down. "Three minutes," Kurt reminds them, acting as a human timer. "Almost there," Lance says through a clenched jaw.

"Two minutes," Kurt says. Thankfully Lance has turned onto the street that leads to the mansions long, winding driveway. They stop at the gate, and Kitty leans over Lance and pushes the "talk" button. "Hello?" a gruff voice asks on the other end. "Mr. Logan, we're back," she says. She hears laughter on the other end. "Like I said earlier Half-Pint, you all have to be in the building at 11." "We'll be there," she assures him, before climbing back in her seat. The iron rought gates don't open.

"Drive," Kitty tells Lance, placing her hands on the Jeep's body. "What?" Lance asks, staring at the unopen gate. "Just drive. I like, got it covered." Lance does as he is told, and drives through the gate and up the winding driveway to the mansion. Kitty lets go of the car, feeling drained. The mansion gets larger and larger as the teens get closer and closer. "30 seconds," Kurt says as they pull up in between the fountain and entrance way. Rogue and Kurt hop out, run up to the stairs, and try to open the front door. No luck. Logan is standing on the other side, grinning in his own sort of way. "I said you _all_ had to get here at 11," he points out. The color drains from Rogue and Kurt's faces. "Kitty hurry up!" Rogue cries, seeming to interrupt a moment between the two love birds.

"Sorry, I like, gotta go," Kitty says. "I had a lot of fun tonight," she says, before kissing Lance on the cheek and running to the front door. Lance sits in his Jeep, places his hand over his cheek. Kitty turns back and says that she'll call him tomorrow, before Rogue and Kurt grab her and push her through the door. They all fall on the welcome mat, Logan looming over them with his arms crossed over his chest. "Three seconds to spare," he grunts. "Nice work kids." Rogue, Kurt and Kitty cheer and exchange hi-fives. "Now, all of you, get to bed. You've got a Danger Room session in the morning." The cheers fade to groans as the three teens walk up the staircase to their new rooms. "G'night guys!" the shout down the hallway at each other before closing the doors behind them.

Outside of the mansion, a tall muscular figure stands, looking up at the lights of the windows. Particularly, the window of Kitty Pryde. The figure growls as he hears a message from his ear piece. "Did everything go according to plan?" the voice asks. "The nano-sect took," the figure growls. "Right in the spine like you wanted."

"Very nice, Big Foot," the other voice greets. "Now all I have to do is sit back and wait for the fun to start." "Don't call me Big Foot," the figure warns. "Fine, fine. Why don't you come back here, _Victor_, and we'll proceed with phase two of the plan. The figure watches the light in Kitty Pryde's room switch off before walking back the way he came. So far so good.

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A/N: Well, I know it probably isn't a good thing to try and write another chapter fic when I'm already working on one, but the boredom has taken its tole, and my attention is focused elsewhere for now. Hopefully I'll get into the habit of focusing on one fic at a time. Reviews would be great


	2. Sweet Dreams

A/N: My attempt at a dream sequence. Hopefully it works

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After arriving in her newly single bedroom, Kitty changes into her pink pajamas, shuts off the lights, and flops down on her bed. After all of the phasing she did in the last ten minutes, she feels drained. Waking up in the morning for a Danger Room session is gonna be awful, she thinks to herself.

She lets her ponytail down, and curls underneath her blankets, smiling. It was definitely a nice change of pace to be out in public with her friends and Lance. Not only because of the public setting, but because her companions weren't arguing or fighting the way they usually would. Kitty hopes things will continue to be like this, and feels another sharp pain at the base of her neck. "Stupid bug," she mutters, rubbing the sore spot before drifting off to sleep.

_The cool night air brushes against the creature as it navigates through the streets of Bayville. Running on all fours, though with a posture more suited to a Neanderthal on its knuckles than an average animal, its breath is thick from the constant movement, and its adrenaline is pumping. Images of grassy hills, stone buildings, and glass windows pass in its mind. The creature stops in the park, and perks its brown pointy ears up, hears sirens in the distance. The noise is unpleasant, and the creature would prefer to not stay. It keeps running, mind clouded with images unfamiliar; a movie theatre, a back alley. _

_The sirens get louder and louder, with lights get brighter and brighter, until one of the squad cars stops the creature in its path. "Stop where you are!" a police officer warns through a megaphone. The creature, enraged by the automobile in its path stands up on slender hind legs, bears its long, sharp teeth, and lets out a shrieking, roaring cry, as though to say "Get the hell out of my way". The automobile doesn't move, so the creature runs past it. Well, more accurately, the creature runs _through_ it, towards the dark alley nearby. Dead end._

_Breathing heavily, the creature tries to think of a way out. It looks down at its hands in desperation, and notices long claws. It drags the long, beige nails on the brick wall, contemplating. Hearing more noise behind it, the creature digs its nails in the wall, and begins to climb up the side. The creature looks below to see a crowd of police officers standing in the alley, contemplating their next move. It roars again, and scales the rest of the building. It catches its breath on the rooftop for a moment, and then begins to head North._

_The creature moves closer and closer to where it wants to be. It leaps over the rought iron fence, and onto the property. Looking up at the windows, the creature contemplates entering a bedroom. Which is which? Feeling lost and confused, the creature curls up on a stone bench, and finds a comfortable position to sleep in. Shortly after, the creature's muscles tense and contort, causing it pain. The urge to cry out is strong, but the creature's breath is cut short. The muscle spasms finally end, and the creature dozes off to sleep._

As the sun rises, Kitty opens her eyes. Rather than looking up at her ceiling, and being surrounded by furniture, she sees a dark sky tinted with orange and pink, and grass has replaced her carpet. She lifts herself up, realizes she is on the marble bench in the back of the Institute. "Woah, that was a weird dream," she mutters, rubbing her temples. She feels as though a jack hammer is pulsing inside of her skull, and her body aches.

What am I doing out here? Kitty asks herself after realizing that she has no memory of leaving the mansion, let alone her room. "Like, maybe I was sleep-walking again," she rationalizes.. This wouldn't be the first time Kitty had been using her powers and moving about the grounds in her sleep. After the battle with Apocalypse, her mind was plagued with horrible thoughts of what could have been. According to the Professor, her anxiety led to not feeling comfortable and secure in her safe place, and lead her to roam the halls aimlessly. She had woken up in the living room some days, once in the Danger Room control room, and even out by the swimming pool. She received a harsh sunburn as a result of sleeping poolside for hours before another student finally found her. Good thing the Professor had managed to ease her fears, and eventually stop the sleep walking.

After stretching sore and uncomfortable muscles, Kitty heads back to the mansion. Kitty phases through the back door, careful not to set off the alarm and wake up everyone else. The act of becoming intangible, something so natural, is made more difficult by pain. Wincing and gritting her teeth, Kitty stumbles through the sliding glass door. "That was weird," she exclaims. She walks through the family room, where she notices Logan reading the paper. She tip toes, hoping that he has not suddenly acquired x-ray vision and can see her through his newspaper.

"What's wrong Half-Pint?" Logan asks, not looking up from the text. "Like, nothing Mr. Logan. Just heading back to my room," she says. "Why were you out of your room in the first place? It's 5:30 in the morning" he growls. Why are you questioning me? Kitty retorts to herself. Wait…why did I think that? "Couldn't sleep," she lies, "so I went for a walk." Logan folds the paper up and places it on the cushion next to him.

"You went for a walk?" he asks, raising a bushy eyebrow. "Yeah," she says, glancing down at the floor and scoffing her foot, "I went for a walk." Feeling that she is acting smart with him, Logan rises from the couch and walks towards her. "I just have a head ake now," she says, still not making eye contact with her instructor.

"Then go take some Tylenol and go back to bed," Logan advises, sitting back on the couch and unfolding his newspaper. Kitty leaves the family room briskly, and heads back to her bedroom rather than to the kitchen for Tylenol. Choosing to open her bedroom door rather than phasing through, she walks into her room and falls onto her bed once more, unable to get her mind off the weird dream, and the fact that he had woken up outside of the mansion again. She closes her eyes, feeling a light sleep roll over her.


	3. Capture the Flag

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been uber busy with school, so hopefully this chapter is worth the wait for those of you who like my story.

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"Kitty? Kitty wake up!"

The brunette is awakened by someone spazztically shaking her shoulder. She rolls over and comes face to face with a fuzzy blue elf. Her eyes bug open and she recoils back into her blankets and pillows. "Like, what are you doing in my room?" she asks, pulling the covers around her.

"You overslept," the German youth explains. Kitty's eyes bulge as she throws the covers off of her and jumps off of her mattress, landing in front of her closet. "Where's my stupid suit?" she growls, sliding hangers frantically while Kurt opens the drawers of her dresser. "Found it!" he cries. She turns to grab the black and purple suit, only to have it thrown in her face. "Oof," she says, falling back onto the floor.

Not wanting to be late to the Danger Room session, or irritate Logan, Kitty frantically yanks off her pajama shirt, and only the feeling of eyes on her back reminds her that Kurt is still in the room. She turns around, her bare back exposed to him, and shouts at him to get out. Kurt teleports out of the room, and Kitty quickly strips off her ink pajamas and pulls on her training suit.

Tying her hair up in a messy ponytail, she phases through her bedroom door, Kurt standing in the hallway, and into the bathroom down the hall. She splashes some water on her face before running through the door and back into the hallway. "Please don't move through me," Kurt says. "It freaks me out." Agitated, she puts her face to his. "Yeah? Well it freaks me out when you teleport into my room," Kitty jeers before running down the hall and down to the Danger Room.

An elevator ride later, Kitty yawns and joins the rest of her group, comprised of Scott, Jean, Kurt, Rogue and Ray. "Nice of you to show up," Rogue says, her Southern accent failing to mask her sarcasm. Kitty purses her lips, narrowing her eyes at her former roommate. Scott clears his throat, as well as some tension, to give one of his famous "teamwork" speeches; teamwork this, teamwork that, work together, help your fallen comrades. Some of the young mutants groan, others roll their eyes and ignore Scott. The large metal doors slide open, inviting the trainees inside.

Upon entering the Danger Room, the teens assess the program's layout. The room is dark, the only light appearing from red light bulbs in the ceiling. Mighty stalagmites penetrate the fake floor, while stalactites hold tight to the ceiling, above the virtual cliffs. Warm lava covers the floor, flowing between the rocks. Kurt is stunned, frozen in place. "Wow," Ray says, taking it all in. "What is this place?" "My own version of hell," Nightcrawler says, taking a deep breath and cursing in his native tongue.

Logan's voice growls over the intercom, explaining that this training would be a capture the flag one. Though nobody can see his face, they guess that he is grinning, proud of himself. He instructs his students to begin, and a buzzer sounds. "Spread out," Scott commands. Kurt teleports away, Jean levitates upward, and the others climb over the rocks. "Anybody see the flag?" Scott asks over the uniform com-link. Heads turns, spot no flag.

"If I were Logan," Kitty tells her teammates, "I would put it someplace hard to reach." "So what? Should we look under every rock?" Rogue asks, "Cuz there's a lotta rocks in this place." Kitty scowls. "Kurt, you've been here before, what do you think?" Jean asks. Kitty looks up to see Kurt clinging to a stalactite, trying to hide the fear from his blue face as he thinks. "Look under anything that looks like a bridge, or anything that looks like a cave," he suggests, teleporting away.

Kitty weaves between rocks, skipping over lava-filled cracks in the ground. She turns around stalagmites, fazes through rocks, making sure nothing went unsearched. Through the red and some smoke floating above the lava, she hears quiet growling and hissing. Must just be the "lava", she tells herself, and continues her search.

This new program makes the Danger Room seem larger, and it feels as though Kitty is pulling further and further from her group members as she searches for the flag. "Um, does anyone else hear hissing?" Ray radios his group members. "It's just the lava," Scott says, "Keep searching". Obeying her leader's command, Kitty continues to weave between and through rocks, hoping to find the flag and be done the simulation.

"I'm starting to hear the hissing too," Rogue says, her voice tinged with a nervousness equaling that of her brother. "And I don't think it's the lava." Jean suggests regrouping by the doors. "That way we can come up with a plan of attack. And if there's something more than lava hissing, we can watch each others' backs." The group members retrace their steps, which is difficult for Kitty since she cannot remember which rocks she fazed through and which she walked around. All these rocks, look the same, she pouts to herself, wandering.

"Kitty, where are you?" Scott barks. Kitty tells him that she's trying to retrace her steps, that she cannot remember her way back. Scott tells her to give them a sign so they can find her. "Like, what kind of sign can I give you?" Kitty hisses, "_You're_ the one with the laser eyes." Scott, choosing to ignore Kitty's comment, tells her that they'll all come find her, and that she should stay put. "Ay ay sir," Kitty says, saluting the rock in front of her.

Seconds pass and Kitty feels as though she's been waiting for hours. Normally she wouldn't be this crabby, so she rationalizes that she woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning; the side with Kurt's blue face in hers. She contemplates moving, that her bath would somehow converge with that of her teammates, and then they would be able to finish their training sooner. Not wanting to take the risk, she sits down on the ground with her back resting against a rock; sitting and waiting. She hears a long hiss coming from behind her. _Like, it's just the stupid simulated steam,_ she rationalizes.

The hissing stops, and Kitty feels the ground vibrating underneath her. "Like, it's just the simulation," she says aloud; she sits, waits, and wishes that it were just the program, and then a shadow casts over her. Turning slowly, Kitty comes face to face with a giant red raptor, its mandibles wide open, expecting food. It crouches and pounces, phasing through a stunned Shadowcat. "Like, we got a problem," Kitty says via the team microphone. The raptor doubles back to charge Kitty, and she takes this as her cue to run. "What's wrong?" Jean asks over the microphone. "Big…red…raptor" Kitty says in between breaths and running around rocks.

Scott gives orders, something about spreading out to find Kitty sooner, and for her to wait for back up, though it's hard to wait with a carnivorous creature from other dimension trying to claim you as his breakfast. Running forward, Kitty glimpses over her shoulder to see the distance between her and the reptile. It's gone.

Kitty takes time to catch her breath, tells her teammates that she lost it. Then she hears a growl, and then she is pinned under the weight of the hungry raptor. She feels her spine and ribcage hit the ground, her breath shortening. The raptor pins her forearms down with its powerful hind legs, lowers its open jaw to Kitty's face.

Kitty turns her head to the side just as glistening teeth snap beside her. Feeling helpless, Kitty squirms under the weight of the reptile, pain spreading down to the nape of her neck. The pain in her neck is warm, and Kitty no longer feels helpless. _Like, I hope this thing's male. _She faces the creature head on, tucks her legs under the raptor's stomach, and gives a powerful kick. The raptor is taken aback, and Kitty notices a black triangle on its soft underbelly. "Is that the flag?" Kitty asks as she rises from the ground. The raptor whips its powerful tail around at Kitty, slamming her into a rock. Her face scrapes against the rock, and Kitty feels the sting of open cuts and the warmth of blood rushing to her right cheek and temple.

Fight-or-flight response kicking in, Kitty rises once more to face the red being. Before the two have a chance to face off, a red beam of light blasts the reptile, sending him hurtling through the rocks. "Are you alright?" Scott asks as Kurt and Rogue rush to Kitty's side. "I'm fine," Kitty says, touching the scrapes on her cheek tenderly before snapping and asking what took them so long. "Relax Kitty," Rogue says. "You did get yourself pretty lost in here."

"Alright, well, now that we're all back together, and for the most part unharmed, we can start looking for that flag," Ray says, trying to refocus the team. "I already found it," an agitated Kitty points out. "Where?" Scott asks. The others crowd around Kitty as she tells them about the black triangle on the raptor's belly. "Logan would do something like that," Kurt scoffs. "He just loves to torture us," Rogue adds dryly. "And Scott just blasted the thing, so who knows where it went?" Ray points out. "Nice going."

Scott defends his actions, rationalizes that it would have charged Kitty had he not blasted it. "Not that I could phase through it or anything," Kitty says sarcastically, shooting Scott a glare. "I was doing you a favor," Scott says through gritted teeth. Though Kitty can't see through his visor, she knows Scott is glaring back at her. "Let's come up with something," Jean interjects, "I don't want to be training all morning."

"We could send Kurt to look for it," Rogue suggests, though Kurt refuses. "Not on your life, and certainly not on mine." "Maybe we won't have to worry about looking for it," Jean points to the top of a rock where the raptor crouches, its angry eyes focused on the group. Ray places his hand on the rock, sending an electric current up. The raptor jumps off the rock before the current reaches it, and Jean immediately encases it in a telekinetic field. It growls and squirms, clearly not liking not being able to touch the ground, or being held at bay from the tasty mutants beneath it.

"Someone grab the flag!" Jean shouts, her mind straining with the squirming raptor. Kurt musters up the courage to teleport in front of the creature, which nips at him as he reaches a gloved hand towards the flag. He teleports back down, and whisks Kitty away with no explanation. The two reappear on the top of the rock where the red menace once stood. "What the heck Kurt?" Kitty asks, yanking her wrist from his grasp. "Grab the flag," he tells her. "It won't bite you. It _can't_ bite you."

"Just grab it and let's go!" Ray shouts up at her. Kitty tries to reach for the raptor, but falls short. She tries again, falling shorter still. "Drop her on it!" Scott shouts. "Like, are you nuts?" Kitty shouts back, withholding venomous comments about Scott's leadership. "You can just phase through the thing and grab the flag on your way down," he points out. Kitty wants to tell her leader that his plan is easier said than done, though it really isn't. Kitty nods at Kurt, and the two teleport off the rock.

Kitty rematerializes above the raptor, and before she knows anything, Kurt teleports himself away, dropping Kitty on the red monster. The shock of being dropped ruins her focus, and a solidified Kitty Pryde lands on its back. The raptor whirls its head around, its thick skull knocking against the brunette's. The sudden movement breaks the raptor from Jean's field, sending the two crashing to the ground. Thankfully Kitty landed on top, though the fall sent a jolt of pain through her body, which nestles itself at the top of her spine.

The raptor doesn't move underneath her, and the others rush to Kitty's side. "Are you alright?" Ray and Rogue ask, hoisting Kitty by her elbows. Kitty nods as Jean mentally rolls it over and Scott pulls the flag off of its stomach. The lighting in the Danger Room returns to normal, and one by one the holographic rocks disappear, the smell of sulfur disappearing with them. The unconscious raptor is the last to vanish, and Kitty breaks away from her companions to deliver it a swift kick to the neck. The others look at Kitty with expressions of shock and awe.

The giant metal doors to the Danger Room slide open, and Logan stomps through them. "What was that?" he asks the students. "You need to work on your ability to keep your team under control," he says to Scott. He tells Kurt that he needs to work on his fear of holograms, and to work on his communication skills. "You just dropped Half-Pint and then things just got worse from there." His eyes land on Kitty, "How's your head?" Kitty mumbles that it feels fine, and then Logan says he's going to need to patch up the side of her face after she changes.

The group walks out of the giant sliding doors with the head hung low, dreading the rest of the day.


	4. When Push Comes to Shove

A/N: Still busy, but trying to be on top of things. This is gonna be short.

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When they enter the hallway the pain in Kitty's head eases, and she touches the side of her face. Her fingertips gingerly touch the cuts on her cheek, and linger on the dry blood at her temple. "Stupid dinosaur," she mutters to herself on the way to the elevator. She lightly massages the sides of her sore neck, and her finger presses on the muscles above her vertebrae. A sharp sensation enters her brain, sending a strange, tingling feeling. Staring at the backs of her teammates, she is reminded of her close friend dropping her onto the raptor. Kitty gives Kurt a forceful shove on the back, shoves him in Ray as though her were a domino.

"What was that for?" he asks. "That was for dropping me," she growls at him. Then she hits Scott on the shoulder. "What's with you?" Scott asks. "That was for telling him to drop me," she says. "Hey, I thought it would work," Scott says defensively. "Well, then how about Kurt drops you on the red raptor next time we see it?" Kitty sarcastically asks, "See if that awesome plan of yours works again." The two face each other, eyes glaring and jaws clenching.

Rogue grabs Kitty by the arm and drags her away from the group. "What's wrong with you?" she asks her former roommate. "You've been acting weird this whole time." "Nothing's wrong with me," Kitty states clearly, before shouting, "Just dealing with Scott's crappy leadership." Rogue yanks the petit girl back into their present conversation. "That's what I mean. And you were mouthing off in the Danger Room."

Kitty shrugs. "I guess I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed." "Well," Rogue advises, "After Logan patches your face up, you'd better go back to sleep and wake up on the right side." "Thanks for the advise _Mom_," Kitty says, shoving her face in her friend's, saying that she's just fine. Rogue is about to open her mouth and say more, though Kitty walks away before Rogue gets a chance to say what else is on her mind.

While everyone else enters the elevator, Kitty chooses to take the stairs. "Hopefully she'll blow off some steam," she hears Scott say. Kitty walks and ignores his comment. _Stupid Scott._ She reaches the stairway, and is reminded of the poor actions of her teammates with each step she takes. Snapshots of this morning's events play in her mind, making her blood boil. Waking up outside of the Institute, Kurt in her room, getting lost during the exercise, being attacked by a hologram, being dropped on the raptor, the injuries she sustained.

And then of course, everyone telling her that she's acting weird agitates Kitty further. There's nothing wrong with her. Sure she shouldn't have shoved Kurt, or insulted Scott's leadership, but they deserved it for their stupid ideas. "Telling Kurt to drop me. We should drop him on his head!" she shouts into the empty stairway. She reaches a platform and paces, and her attitude flips a switch. "It would have been a good idea," Kitty says. She grasps the railing and looks up at the levels of stairs she still has to climb, sighs heavily. "Why didn't I take the elevator?" she asks herself before mentally preparing for the long trek upward.

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A/N: Lame I know, but it gave me a little something extra to write about. Reviews are always appreciated


	5. Kicking and Screaming

Kitty meets Logan in the little infirmary by the Danger Room. Standing outside of the sliding doors, legs in agonizing pain and a fresh change of clothes, Kitty gently touches the side of her face with her fingertips, winces in pain. The real scratches sustained from the virtual rocks during her training session hadn't cut her too deep, though deep enough for the touch to hurt, and for the scratches to require mending.

The doors to the infirmary slide open, and Kitty painfully strides into the little room, feeling immersed in chrome and white; chrome operating table with a white cloth draped over the top, chrome chairs, shining chrome surgical tools placed atop a white cloth, white lighting drawing attention to the sterility and monotony of the room. Logan stands near an open medicine cabinet, and gestures for Kitty to sit on the operating table. "How's your face?" he asks, concentrating more on the labels of the glass bottles in the cabinet than on her. Kitty winces as she lowers herself onto the table, reassuring her instructor that the scratches aren't as bad as they look, that they barely hurt.

"Don't try to be tough," he says, gathering the proper medical supplies and placing them onto a small table before sitting himself on a chair in front of Kitty. He pinches her jaw between his large, callused fingers covered by a latex glove and turns her head to the side. He picks up a small, moist cotton ball and gently dabs it on the wound on her temple. "This is gonna hurt," he warns. It burns and reeks of alcohol, and Kitty tries her best to stay strong and not recoil from the pain. She closes her eyes and winces, taking a sharp breath as the alcohol enters the cut.

The moisture at her temple is dabbed with a new, dry cotton ball, and Kitty feels Logan the fluffy cotton to her skin. "Not so bad," she jokes, preparing herself for the next round of alcohol swabbing that her cheek requires. Logan silently and quickly swabs the smaller scratches. The second round of alcohol doesn't hurt as much as the first, much to Kitty's relief. She is shocked at how careful and gentle Logan is; this totally goes against the front that Logan displays to everyone else in the mansion. Even still, Kitty shouldn't be too shocked that the razor-wielding Wolverine has let his guard down around her; it wouldn't be the first time. After their excursion in the Rocky Mountains, the two seemed to have a newfound understanding of the other person.

Before Kitty knows it, her wounds are patched and Logan is peeling off his latex gloves. They snap like a rubber band, cutting through the silence. "I guess I'll get going then," Kitty mumbles, pushing herself off of the table. "Not yet," Logan says, forcing Kitty to sit once more. Before she can ask what else he needs to do, Logan lifts her eyelid up and shines a small yet blindingly bright flash light in her eyes. She recoils from the light and Logan's prying hand, accidently kicks him in the shin. "Like, what the heck is that for?" she asks, rubbing her eye to remove the little white and purple flecks plaguing her vision.

"Checking your head to make sure everything's alright after the fall," Logan rubs his shin. "Oh," an embarrassed Kitty tries to sit perfectly still as Logan lifts her eyelid once more. "Look into the light," he growls. He moves onto her other eye, and Kitty fights the urge to recoil once more. Rather than focusing the small, bright light shining in her eye, Kitty lets her mind wander. She thinks of Lance (and smiles), she thinks of her training session (and scowls, thinking of the predicament she landed in—no pun intended), and thinks of the small pain at the base of her neck (which she didn't previously feel). "You look fine," he says, shutting off the light. "Can I go then?" Kitty asks, her body prepared just in case Logan says no and tries to poke or prod her with anything else. "Yeah, you're fine," he says. Kitty phases through the doors, eager to leave Logan.

The lights in the hall seem brighter to Kitty, and the walls seem larger. Walking towards the elevator, she feels as though the walls are converging on her, as though her vision is sharpening drastically. She places her hand against the wall for stability, and walks slowly towards the large metal doors. The sharpening of her vision reminds her of countless movies where the main character is under the influence of drugs, and the lights and walls converge and seem to jut out and envelop her simultaneously. Pressure builds behind her eyes, causing her to tightly close them.

After taking a few deep breaths, Kitty opens her eyes to find her vision only slightly sharpened, and the pain behind her eyes lessening. While waiting for the elevator doors to open, Kitty hears the metal container gliding behind the doors. Though gliding isn't the right word; moreover, she hears the metal container screeching behind the doors. The slow moving unit moves gently along the elevator shaft, though any movement it makes irritates Kitty's ear, sounds as though Logan is dragging his animantium claws on a chalkboard, shrieking all the way down. She covers her ears with her hands, trying to drown the sharp noise out, but to no avail. The screeching gets louder, and the swishing of the doors and dinging of the bell provide relief as she steps inside the elevator.

Once inside what she thought would be a protective barrier between Kitty and the high-pitched noise, it only got worse. Moving up in the elevator makes the ringing and screeching louder and higher, and she curls in the fetal position in the elevator, waiting for the interminable torture to finally stop. Feeling that her ear drums are about to burst, the only thing Kitty can do is scream. She screams as loud as she can, but still cannot drown out the high-pitched noise of the elevator. She screams and screams, and wishes for this God awful noise to go away.


	6. Two Birds with One Stone

A/N: I'm pleased to report that for the next few months school will not be getting in the way of my fiction, so hopefully this chapter is worth the wait…

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The high-pitched noise comes to a sudden stop as the elevator lurches upwards and then dips suddenly, signaling the end of the elevator ride. A curled up Kitty opens her eyes, which had been tightly shut, and removes her hands from her ears. The sweet sound of the elevator bell greets her, and she quickly scrambles off of the floor of the elevator as the doors open. As the doors slide open, Kitty is greeted by curious looks from other students who happened to be walking by the elevator.

"I thought I heard you scream" Jubilee says, rushing to Kitty's side. "Are you alright?" Kitty nods her head, not wanting to burden anyone with her troubles. She opens her mouth so explain the noise, but is forced to clear her hoarse throat. "Like, I didn't scream," Kitty reassures, "I think the noise you're talking about was the elevator squeaking. I think we should get someone in here to check it out." With a sigh of relief, Jubilee lets Kitty pass, as she makes her way back up to her bedroom.

Kitty phases through her door and dives onto her bed, face-planting among the pillows. She looks at her alarm clock, grimaces as she remembers that it did not serve its purpose this morning, the orange numbers shining 9:24 AM. Kitty rolls over onto her back, staring upward at the plain cream ceiling. "I've been rushed out of bed, late to a session, beaten up by a fake dinosaur, walked up countless numbers of stairs, patched up, and started having auditory hallucinations all before breakfast," she sarcastically explains to the ceiling. "And all before I've even eaten breakfast, so today seems like it's gonna be a good day". She gives the silent ceiling a cheeky smile and two thumbs up, before crawling under the covers and shutting her eyes.

Kitty awakes to someone knocking on her bedroom door. Rubbing her eyes, Kitty checks her alarm clock, 5:47 PM. She does a double-take, and confirms that she had in fact slept most of the day away. She contemplates closing her eyes again, but the persistent knocking forces her to abandon that thought and answer the door. On the other side stands Scott, and though Kitty cannot see his eyes, she knows he's glaring at her.

"Like, what's up Scott?" she asks casually, stifling a yawn. Scott holds the cordless phone in front of her, a disgusted look on his face. "I don't know why he calls here," Scott says as Kitty takes the phone from him. "Maybe he wants to piss you off as much as he wants to talk to me, Kitty shrugs. "You know, kill two birds with one stone?" She smirks at her own joke, and Scott goes into hot-head mode. "You know what Kitty? I'm not sure what happened to you today, but your attitude isn't…" "Yeah yeah whatever," Kitty cuts his rant off by shutting the door in his face, and turns her attention to the individual on the other line. "Like, hey Lance! What's up?"

"Did you just shut the door on Summers?" Lance asks. "Yeah," Kitty says nonchalantly, "Not in the mood for a lecture right now." "Nice Kitty," Lance says, and she can tell from the tone in Lance's voice that he is quite amused. "But anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight?" Kitty sits on the edge of her bed, asks what her boyfriend has in mind. "Me and a few of the guys heard there's a party tonight," he explains, adding that he knows how much Kitty likes to dance. "Pietro heard Tabitha's gonna be there and he really wants to talk to her. He doesn't wanna go it alone—and I'm not gonna walk in with Pietro, cuz people might get the wrong idea, with him being so flamboyant and all—so I figured I would extend the invitation to someone I would rather spend time with." Kitty smiles at the explanation, contemplates her answer. She's slept most of the day away, which meant she still had hours of homework sitting on her desk that would only continue to pile up; conversely, the time she had spent awake had been awful, and she could really use the night to unwind.

"That sounds fun," Kitty says, laying back on her bed. "Like, what time do you wanna pick me up?" They plan for Lance to pick her up around seven, which gives Kitty plenty of time to get ready, as well go through the proper channels in order to ask for permission to leave. She may be able to walk through solid matter, but Kitty Pryde's mutant ability is useless when it comes to making her way through the red tape of the Xavier Institute.

Feeling awake after her shower, fresh after brushing her teeth and putting on make-up, and free in her party clothes, Kitty rushes to meet Lance and Pietro at the door before Logan does. Even though she has worked hard to prove to her surrogate father-figure that Lance and Pietro had proved themselves worthy of her time when they came to Mexico to help in the fight against Apocalypse, Kitty was unable to change his attitude towards the two Brotherhood boys. He still stood in the doorway glaring, still imposed strict rules and regulations about the time Kitty and the other young X-Men spent mingling with the Brotherhood boys. To Logan they are thugs, and there is no sense in changing his mind, though Kitty feels he could be a bit more empathetic towards them. "Like, I'm sure you know what it's like to be the guy who everyone thought was no good," Kitty would tell Logan, in an attempt to reason with him; though Logan's only response was to shrug.

Kitty feels relief when she notices that Logan is not looming in the doorway as the Jeep comes into view. She quickly rushes to the doors, running her fingers through her slightly-moistened hair for a final time. Logan rounds the corner just as Kitty bolts through the door, hears him call after her when she is heading towards the car. "What's up?" she asks, phasing her head and shoulders through the glass entrance. "Eleven o'clock, no later," Logan says, eyeing the attire of his young student. "And cover up," he barks before turning on his heel and heading towards the kitchen. Kitty rolls her eyes, and slinks down the cement stairs towards Lance and his silver-haired friend.

"Looking good Pryde," Pietro compliments as he climbs into the back seat of the Jeep. Kitty responds with a slight nod, and waits for Lance's reaction before taking her seat beside him. Lance appears to like what he sees—the studious girl with her auburn hair hanging about her shoulders, her tight black tank top exposing her toned midsection, and her tight dark jeans—though no words come out of his mouth. Kitty spins for him, asks if he likes what he sees, to which he can only nod. "Then let's get this party started!" Pietro cheers, thrusting the passenger door open for Kitty.

The three drive off, eager to dance and blend in with a crowd of normal people, though blissfully unaware of what events will unfold.  
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	7. What Was That?

A/N: It's been a long ass time since I even thought about this story, so I'm sorry for the late update for those of you who have been waiting. I'm trying to remember the direction I intended to go with this chapter of the story, so please understand that if it seems unrelated to the rest of the story thusfar.

* * *

The warehouse is packed wall to wall with party-goers; some thrashing to the beat of the blaring bass line of the DJ, others weaving their way through the dancers to find someone, or something, to ease the troubles of daytime life. Among this crowd, Kitty, Lance, and Pietro can be seen making their way through the crowd in search of Tabitha, as well as a good time.

"Where could she be?" Pietro shouts back to Lance, holding Kitty's hand firmly in his own. Lance can only shrug, scanning for sights of the vivacious blonde. Kitty shakes her head at her companions, signaling that she hasn't spotted Tabitha either. Pietro pushes past the crowd, hoping to find higher ground. Failing, Pietro rushes back to Lance and proceeds to climb him like a tree without warning. "Get off!" Lance commands, flailing to catch his speedy friend, losing his balance and grip on Kitty's hand in the process. The Brotherhood Tower tumbles, and while Lance lands on the cold ground below, Pietro is caught by the crowd of dancers, and carried away as though he intended to body surf the crowd.

Helping Lance off the ground, Kitty sways her hips and bops her head to the music, signaling that she would rather dance than search. Lance obliges, and the two spend an interminable amount of time on the dance floor, under the colorful strobe and disco lights. As she shakes and sways, Kitty stares into Lance's eyes and things of how lucky she is to have him, lucky to have someone who knows how to have a good time, and how to make her feel wonderful. The tempo of the music increases, and shaking is accompanies by head twirls and hair flips. Lance embraces his dancing love, presses his mouth against hers, sending a spark the likes of which Ororo Monroe would conjure up rushing through Kitty's petite body.

Kitty grips Lance's hand and the two make their way to a vacant spot in the warehouse so they can catch their breath. "Having fun?" Lance asks, breathing in the stale air heavily. Kitty giggles and nods, fanning herself with her hands. "So much more fun than the Danger Room," she adds, taking a moment to fan Lance's face. "It's a shame we didn't find Tabitha, though." Lance can only shrug. "I'm sure Pietro was able to find her when the crowd carried him off," he reasons. "I just hope we can find him."

"I'm gonna go get some water," Kitty says, "I'll be right back." Lance nods, and Kitty maneuvers between dancers and people twirling colorful glow sticks in the air. After purchasing a bottle of water (which Kitty considered "like, so over-priced"), she drank half of it as fast as her body would allow; after ensuring that the bottle is backwash-free, she makes her way back towards Lance, hoping to quench his thirst. The crowd seems more congested than it was just a few moments ago, forcing Kitty to shove her way past dancers rather than politely weave. Feeling like a football player in training, Kitty would prefer to phase through party attendees out of convenience rather than annoyance; thinking against it, she elbows her way through thrash-dancers and ravers.

She spots Lance out of the corner of her eye, a slender girl with short blonde hair next to him, twirling her ringed fingers through his long, brown hair. Kitty grunts, forcing her way through the crowd just in time to see the blonde snake her arm behind Lance's neck and press his lips against hers. Kitty stands petrified, her hand gripping the bottle of water, crushing the plastic. Her lips purse, her eyes glare, and she feels a warming sensation sprout from the base of her neck and rush through her body. Her shoulders twitch upward, and Kitty chucks the bottle of water over some of the crowd, beaming the blonde in the back of the head. She and Lance separate suddenly, both of their hands rushing to check the spot on her head where the bottle made contact.

Lance stands stunned as Kitty emerges from the crowd, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. She cocks her hip, sarcastically congratulates Lance on his smooth moves. The blonde turns around, and Kitty instantly recognizes the face through caked on and smeared make up: Tabitha. "What was that?" Tabitha shouts, her hands balling into fists. The heat in Kitty's body rises, and rather than answer the former X-Recruit, she tackles her to the ground, before a serious of slapping and wrestling begins. The crowd encircles them, eager to watch the girl fight unfurl. Pietro appears beside Lance, and the two work to separate the fight by grabbing their respective love interests.

"Kitty, what's with you?" Lance asks, wrapping his arms around the feisty, petite girl in a bear hug. Even when separated, the two girls hit and kick at the air, hoping to make residual contact with their assailant. After a moment of being restrained, Kitty stops flailing and phases herself out of Lance's grip. Her eyes wild and her breathing furious, Kitty tells Lance to buzz off before storming away. Some members of the crowd separate, not wanting to cross paths with the angry girl, while others resume their dancing. She pushes past those who do not move, and after exiting the building, she walks towards the dimly lit main road.

After a few minutes of muttering about how dumb Lance is, how skanky Tabitha is, and how stupid the whole night has been, the road is partially illuminated by headlights. The Jeep rushes past Kitty, and parks perpendicular to the road, blocking her way. "What was that?" Lance shouts, jumping out of the car. "_What was that?"_ she mocks, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Lance tries to sputter an explanation, how Tabitha came up to him, flirted with him, kissed him. Kitty rolls her eyes. "Takes two to kiss, Lance," she smirks, "and I didn't exactly see you pull away". Lance stands stunned once again.

"Screw you," she spits, before phasing through the Jeep's door and sitting in the passenger seat. "Take me home," she demands, her breathing still rough and rigid. "Don't talk, don't look at me, don't even _think_ about me, just drive." Her seatbelt clicks, and Lance returns in his Jeep to drive home. The drive is marred by tense silence, which is only cut by Kitty's stressful breathing. She looks at the adjacent side view mirror, notices her face tinted red from being slapped, a scratch on her collar from Tabitha's face nails, her make-up smeared from the heat of dancing. She steals a glance at the clock radio: 10:46 PM. She sighs heavily, knowing she will be out past curfew, and suffer the consequences Logan will administer. When the Jeep pulls up to the mansion, Lance breaks before the large iron gate. Kitty phases out of her seat, through the gate, without saying one word to Lance. "Great, now I'm late, and he's an ass" Kitty mutters up the long driveway.

She walks through the door to find Logan and Hank McCoy standing by the staircase, waiting for her. "I know I'm late," she groans, pulling her shoes off so as to carry them back to her room. "Like, I'm really sorry." The two instructors share a glance, noting that her tone sounds anything but sorry. "5 AM wake up," Logan says, walking away from the foyer. "You can help Hank alphabetize the library" Kitty sighs, feeling as though she got off easy.

"But not before you collect specimens from the swamp to help me with my latest study," Hank adds, placing a firm blue hand on the shocked girl's shoulder. "And off course, you'll have to clean up the Danger Room after Logan's session." Kitty growls, and stomps up the foyer staircase, slamming the door to her bedroom shut, throwing her shoes across the room.


End file.
